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Best Value Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Value Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Tennessee

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

11 Colleges
$17,142 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$49,761 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Special Education Master's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, special education students earned 354 degrees and certificates from a Tennessee school, making the subject the 6th in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which teaching program is right for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Teaching Degree Search has created the Best Value Special Education Master's Degree Schools in Tennessee to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in Tennessee to see which master's degree programs offered the best value experiences for special ed students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee

Check out the special ed master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Special Education Master's Degree Schools

#1

Freed-Hardeman University

Henderson, TN

Our analysis found Freed-Hardeman University to be the best value school for special education students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Tennessee. FHU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Henderson.

FHU graduate students pay an average of $10,980 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

FHU also took the #5 spot in our Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee rankings.

Read More…

#2

Carson - Newman University

Jefferson City, TN

Out of the 11 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Carson - Newman University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Carson - Newman is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Jefferson City.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Carson - Newman are $9,632 per year.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Middle Tennessee State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Middle Tennessee State University is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Murfreesboro.

Middle Tennessee State University graduate students pay an average of $10,818 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Special Education at Middle Tennessee State University Report

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means East Tennessee State University is a great value for special education students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at ETSU are $10,736 per year.

Read full report on Special Education at East Tennessee State University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Trevecca Nazarene University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the large city of Nashville, TNU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at TNU are $11,585 a year.

Full Special Education at Trevecca Nazarene University Report

Christian Brothers University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Christian Brothers is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Memphis.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Christian Brothers are $13,463 per year.

Read full report on Special Education at Christian Brothers University

#7

Lipscomb University

Nashville, TN

With a ranking of #7, Lipscomb University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for special education students working on their master’s degree. Lipscomb is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Lipscomb are $17,100 a year.

Lipscomb did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Special Education Master’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list.

Full Special Education at Lipscomb University Report

#8

Tennessee State University

Nashville, TN

Tennessee State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree special education programs. Tennessee State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Nashville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Tennessee State University are $10,732 a year.

Read More…

#8

Lee University

Cleveland, TN

Lee University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree special education programs. Located in the small city of Cleveland, Lee University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Lee University graduate students pay an average of $15,050 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Special Education at Lee University Report

#10

Lincoln Memorial University

Harrogate, TN

Lincoln Memorial University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for special education students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the distant town of Harrogate, LMU is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at LMU are $20,104 per year.

Read More…

Best Value Special Education Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Special Education Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kentucky 608
North Carolina 477
Florida 1,103
Georgia 550
Virginia 1,238
West Virginia 46
South Carolina 266
Arkansas 351
Louisiana 103
Mississippi 269
Alabama 437

One of 14 majors within the teaching area of study, special education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Special Ed Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Special Education 24,497
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 3,111
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities 1,789
Elementary Special Education 1,625
Other Special Education & Teaching 1,227
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism 1,133
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs 655
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities 540
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented 504
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Speech or Language Impairments 415
Education of the Deaf 363
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances 226
Education/Teaching of Individuals Who are Developmentally Delayed 222
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Junior High/Middle School Special Education Programs 181
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Vision Impairments Including Blindness 134
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities 122
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Orthopedic & Other Physical Health Impairments 47
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injuries 1

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 110,226
Educational Administration 46,469
Teacher Education Subject Specific 43,297
General Education 29,810
Curriculum & Instruction 19,832

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 11 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to woodleywonderworks.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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